Anthology Sources Books

This is an excellent book about the literary tradition of misogyny (hatred of women) in Europe. I first encountered this book in a Chaucer course, and it opened up a whole new vision of interpretation of classical and medieval materials and further forward through literary history. This book is a definite must for anyone studying history, literature, or for that matter, life in general, as it brings forth some of the origins of misogynist ideology.

Woman Defamed and Woman Defended is a highly useful book for anyone interested in the medieval querelle des femmes or in women's history. It gathers together the major Late Classical and Medieval writers who addressed the issue of women's place in the world, allowing one to read the relevant excerpts without having to hunt through all of those writers' works (which can be a very daunting task in the case of someone like Ovid or Augustine). As the title suggests, the book highlights not only women's detractors, but also their defenders (including proto-feminists such as Christine de Pizan) to counter some of the nastier misogynistic passages. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of gender in the West, especially those who confine the main part of their work to the 19th and 20th centuries. The Western so-called "war of the sexes" has its ultimate roots in this material, despite the way that (in my experience) it is often ignored or glossed over in classes that deal directly with gender.

This collated and edited collection focusing on Oklahoma is part of the much larger (massive) collection of works produced by the WPA (Works Project Administration) which was part of Roosevelt's Federal Writers Project. Spanning the country to interview ex-enslaved African Americans before that entire generation died, the combined volumes speak volumes about the horrid conditions--provided by first-hand, eye-witnesses. This current volume focuses, as the title notes, on one such state--Oklahoma. For the complete works, the Library of Congress online is the best source.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Spiritual Friends, and Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction.

From 19337-39 the Works Project Administration, through the Oklahoma Federal Writers Project, interviewed former slaves living in Oklahoma. For various reasons the slave narratives were never published and languished in boxes in Oklahoma and Washington, DC.
In 1990 they came to the attention of the editors of this volume annd after extensive work were published in 1996. The book contains some one hundred thirty narratives and is a rich history of not only Oklahoma but other southern states as well as the slavery practices of the Five Civilized Tribes.
It is an indispensable resource for historians as well as readers interested in slavery, Oklahoma's Five Tribes, African Americans, and the history of race relations in Oklahoma and the Southwest. Detailed editorial notes and a superb index are included.

'A comprehensive analysis of the philosophical and intellectual backgrounds and the historical sources that lie behind the rich and complex work of David Jones.'

REVIEWS

'It is a pleasure to welcome this distinctive book...Miles...puts Jones into a bigger context and better perspective than most...I recommend it thoroughly'

Miichael Alexander in Modern Language Review

' 'Thorough and revealing...a very useful piece of research, well concewived and well- documented'

The Planet

'Valuable, highly detailed...a great pleasure and enlightenment'

Poetry Listing

Having been to Ireland many times and stayed in a few of the "Big Houses", I wanted to know why they weren't referred to as castles. I asked an owner of a house we stayed at and here's his answer in a nut shell, "Big Houses" are Irish, whereas "Castles and Manors" are English.

This book not only has lovely photographs of many houses, but gives insight into the daily mechanics of operating a large estate. Servants and owners were at times close, more so than the English "Upstairs, Downstairs" version.

A wonderful book for anyone interested in the architecture and history of my favorite island, Ireland.

Just looking at the table of contents of this book made me drool. A comprehensive collection of primary documents dealing with childhood since the colonial era.

For the student of Alabama/Georgia history or Creek Indian history, this is the most complete and comprehensive eye witness journal that exists of daily life among the Creek Indians in the 1795 to 1819 time period. This is not a book written by Hawkins but a collection of his daily journals over several years of life among the Creeks.

Hawkins is one of the few educated men (ex US Senator from North Carolina) who lived among the Indians, ate with them, treated with them, talked to them in their homes and counsels, and made daily journals. I consider it one of the most important tools I have seen for learning about Creek Indian life in the Georgia/Alabama area.

One of the most interesting accounts is when Hawkins is "accosted" in the night by an amorous Creek lady who offers herself as well as her wordly goods to his management. At the time he is getting on in age with a bad case of gout and she is 25 years old. It seems that he turned her down but the fine details of the incident are most interesting and revealing of customs.
For all intents and purposes, Hawkins is the leader of the Creek nation after Chief McGillivray's death (1793) untils its demise in the Alabama/Georgia region.
Some of the most interesting parts of the book are the speeches or talks given by the various town chiefs. The names of all the chiefs, traders,and white residents are listed as well as the people who travelled through the country and had to get passports from Hawkins. The book is full of Creek terminology which is colorful and descriptive such as "he who cannot get enough land" and similar things. Hawkins delights himself in learning and recording the language.

Its apparent that the Creek Indians loved and trusted Hawkins and that he had their best interests at heart, although he was a US government employee bound to do the will of Jefferson which was to "civilize" the Native tribes which in the end caused them to implode in a civil war which destroyed the Creek Nation established in Alabama and Georgia.
This is an invaluable tool for the scholar and a fun read for the casual student. It is packed full of fine details, lists, bookeeping entries, which can easily be scanned over by those who dont need the details. There are gold nuggets here for the research scholar.

Thanks to the Alabama Press for publishing this important historical account.

"From the eighth century onwards, the Muslim townsfolk of North Africa were well aware that fifty stages away across the desert to the south lay a land inhabited by black people which was the source of gold, ivory and slaves. It was no mere rumour stemming from occasional journeys of special daring, as it had been in the time of Herodotus. For the Muslims, the black slaves were in their midst as labourers and soldiers, servants and concubines. And soon the passing caravans began to be swelled by black students and pilgrims, showing that the religion and civilization of Islam were spreading across the Sahara into the western and central Sudan...The main sources for the medieval history of West Africa are to be found in Arabic writings...Here, in 372 pages of clear English translations, is the sum of what Islamic scholars wrote about West Africa between the ninth and the fifteenth centuries, together with the notes necessary to its evaluation and the detailed indexes and glossaries which facilitate comparative use...the work of Levtzion and Hopkins...has been supremely well done."
--Times Literary Supplement

This is a key text for any library or individual seeking to examine a broad range of documents spanning the whole range of ecumenical discussions. It is a great resource, well put together, quite mangageable, and fairly pithy despite its size. Given the obscurity of much ecumencial documentation- it really is a key book to get hold of. It would certainly be a primary text to go alongside any higher or further education course on ecumenical matters

It is wonderful to have a book gathering a majority, if not the whole of, Queen Elizabeth's autograph works. Anyone who has been to the British Library - be it only there - can see that her works are scattered in several manuscripts and that getting them copied is just... an ordeal. So very hearty thanks to the authors who did a wonderful job !
To those who do research on the Queen, this is THE book to have.

I stumbled across this books one evening at the UCSC McHenry Library, and photocopied about half of it for use either in papers, or because I found the articles generally interesting and didn't have time to read the whole thing before it had to go back for the summer. It was one of the first books I bought for my collection once I'd left college - it really is just that good.

This book is a collection of writings about a wide variety of subjects that would have been interesting to everyday Elizabethan people. It covers everything from the layout of houses, to the spice trade, to the invention of flush toilets ("jakes"!) and the proliferation of momento mori. There are even period woodcuts and engravings, and the occasional picture of a museum piece thrown in for visual spice. I love it!

I am very very sad to see that it's out of print.